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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · last · field · pop · wave · net · object · clip

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. field — a subject
  3. clip — to cut
  4. object — to protest
  5. last — finally
  6. pop — to visit
  7. clip — for paper
  8. last — to go on
  9. pop — music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. field — for sport
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. clip — a video
  15. pop — soda
  16. last — final
  17. net — in sport
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. object — an aim
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. net — after costs
  22. spell — letters
  23. field — farmland
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com